The Grand County High School basketball team had a rough weekend on the road last week, losing to the South Sevier Rams and the Emery Spartans.

On Friday, Jan. 11, the Red Devils traveled to South Sevier, where they were trampled by the Rams, 72-34.

The Red Devils fell behind quickly, allowing the Rams a 24-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. During the second quarter, Grand played slightly better, but still trailed 42-13 at halftime.

The Rams once again outplayed the Red Devils in the third quarter, ending the period with a 63-19 lead. South Sevier coasted through the final quarter to hand the Red Devils the loss.

“We were out of it,” said Grand County head coach Travis Clark. “We lost the game in the first four minutes. I don’t know if they got intimidated, but we were not mentally ready. I didn’t feel like we were there to compete and honestly, I think we just sat there and watched them play. In order to compete we definitely have to change our attitude. Win or lose, we need to compete better.”

While the Red Devils lost their next game on Saturday, Jan. 12, to the Emery Rams, they did show stronger play. The Spartans led from the first quarter and held a 37-22 lead at halftime. Emery capped the game off with an even stronger second half to cruise to a 77-42 victory.

Despite the 35-point loss, Clark said he was happier with how the team played.

“I feel like we actually came out and played with some intensity against Emery,” he said. “I think we played well, but we just got outplayed. I think we had good defense down the middle of the key but we really didn’t defend the shooters well. Emery is a very talented team, and we’ve got one more home game against them. We’ll have to play better as a team if we want to beat them.”

The Red Devils were scheduled to play their rivals, the San Juan Broncos, in Blanding on Tuesday, Jan. 15. After that, Grand’s next game will not be until Jan. 23, against the Monticello Buckaroos in Monticello. That contest will begin at 7 p.m.

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